Testing The System Step 23

Now that the system is on and operating, you can make a few tests to ensure all is working as it should. Let's check the following items:

1.) Check the LED's on the front of the case. During boot-up, the HDD LED should light. If it does, it is connected properly to the motherboard. If not, try reversing the leads on the LED plug, or just turning it around. You can also check that the power LED lights and that the turbo LED lights, if it is connected.

2.) Check the hard drive. Make sure it is spinning.

3.) Check the fans. Make sure the CPU fan, power supply fan, and case fan(if you have one) are all spinning without any wires in the way. If your video card happens to have a fan, make sure it spins freely as well.

4.) Make sure the CD-ROM has power by hitting the eject button and seeing if it opens.

5.) Hit the reset button to be sure it works. Make sure the system disk is still in Drive A:. While it reboots, check to be sure all the data on the BIOS splash screen is correct to your system.

6.) If you have a keylock, test it now.

7.) Let the system run for 10-15 minutes.

8.) Now, turn it off, ground yourself on the case, and carefully touch the CPU and hard drive. You are checking the temperature to be sure they are being properly cooled. Both will be warm, especially the CPU, but it should never be too hot to touch. If it is, then you should get a better fan.